EGGS FOR PREGNANCY

Not only are eggs an conveineint source of protein, but they are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals commonly lacking in a prenatal diet.

Egg yolks are rich in choline.

Choline has some of the same beneficial effects on a developing baby as folate, including fostering normal brain development and preventing neural tube defects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2929981/

Choline can also permanently change, in a good way, the genetic expression of your growing baby.

https://www.fasebj.org/doi/abs/10.1096/fj.12-207894

Unfortunately mose women only consume a fraction of the choline they need, partly because food sources are limited or perhaps because they’ve been scared away from eating egg yolks. In fact, it’s estimated that fully 94% of women do not meet the recommended intake of 450 mg of choline per day.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/8/839/htm

Two eggs meets about half of a pregnant womena’s daily choline needs, That’s why eggs are frequently included in the sample meals in this book.

When it comes to eggs, quality counts. Eggs from chickens raised on pasture (meaning outdoors, in grass, pecking at insects and enjoying the sunlihgt) are particularly healthy and more nutrient-dense thatn concentioanlly produced eggs.

https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/41808/PDF

Vitamin A content is 30% higher, which is clearly visible from the rich, orange color of the yolks. The more fresh greens, grasses, and bugs a chicken eats, the higher the vitamin A levels

Vitamin E content is double that from commercially-raised hens

Omega-3 content is 2.5x higher than eggs from commercially-raised hens

Omega-6 fats are found in lower levels, which is favorable, since these fats tend to cause imflammation. Eggs from pastured chickens have less than half the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids compared to commercially-raised hens.

Vitamin D content is 3-6x higher, due to regular sun exposure

If you’re nervous to eat eggs because you are worried about cholesteroll, know that recent research has disproven the theory that dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/2/258/htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28504636

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28847431

Besides, our brains need cholesterol. IN fact, 25% of the cholesterol in our bodies if sound in the brain where it plays a crucial role in normal neural function. If you want to provide the raw materials to help your baby development a healthy brain, you should absolutely be consuming cholesterol.

IN 2012 analysis from the CDC, food poisoning due to eggs acconts for only 2% of all food poisoning reports nationwide

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It turns out that you’re 8x more likely to get food poisoning from fresh produce than from eggs

Sourcing your eggs from pasture-raised, organic chickens is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of food poisoning, since organic farms have a 7-fold lower rate of Salmonella incetion compared to commercial producers.

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This is likely due to the chickens being raised outside of a confined barn and having a more caried diet, both of which protect against the spread of disease. Even eggs from conventional farms are very unlikely to contain Salmonella, with estimates ranging from 1 to 12,000 to 1 in 30, 000

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From a food safety and nutritional perspective, it’s ideal to consume eggs from pasture-raised chickens. Check with local farmers or at health food stores. If you cannot find or afford pasture-raised, know that eggsf rom all sources are still a very good source of nutrition and are absolutely worth including in your diet.

IN 2012 analysis from the CDC, food poisoning due to eggs acconts for only 2% of all food poisoning reports nationwide

15

It turns out that you’re 8x more likely to get food poisoning from fresh produce than from eggs

Sourcing your eggs from pasture-raised, organic chickens is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of food poisoning, since organic farms have a 7-fold lower rate of Salmonella incetion compared to commercial producers.

17

This is likely due to the chickens being raised outside of a confined barn and having a more caried diet, both of which protect against the spread of disease. Even eggs from conventional farms are very unlikely to contain Salmonella, with estimates ranging from 1 to 12,000 to 1 in 30, 000

18

From a food safety and nutritional perspective, it’s ideal to consume eggs from pasture-raised chickens. Check with local farmers or at health food stores. If you cannot find or afford pasture-raised, know that eggsf rom all sources are still a very good source of nutrition and are absolutely worth including in your diet.